Since the emergence of neo-liberalism in the 1980's, African states have led towards extreme poverty, dependency, conflict, and political instability. Development implementation in Africa had moved to a large extent in the 1980's from monetary investments in infrastructure of roads and hospitals to advancing exports of domestic productions, leading to further dependency on the world market. Furthermore, the neo-liberals support for free market and their refusal for governmental interventions in the economic sectors has led many to question the effectiveness and appropriateness of these reforms. Nevertheless, this article supports the idea of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) states to adjust a development method to economic growth bearing in mind the limitations of the neo-liberal paradigm that has been brought upon them. A model of co-operation between developmental state and public service is the most convenient route forward in order for the African continent to lift itself from its current predicament. Nonetheless, this paper will begin by exploring what are developmental states and propose three definitions to showcase some differences. A democratic developmental public service will lead to the development of institutions compatible with the prevailing environment in Africa, rather than the adoption of foreign models that are often dissonant with the African context. A developmental state can therefore enhance civil society, public private partnerships, and the public service. A developmental state can help remedy the destructive dynamic that is evident in state-civil society relationships in Africa. With a developmental state model, governments would be able to build synergies among all actors of the society, especially the ability to build relationship between the state and civil society; that is building networks among the various policy actors into viable communities and strengthening the network nexus among these communities (Owusu, Ohemeng, 2012). Such a network will held in the development and implementation of development goals by facilitating the inter-change of developmental ideas (4). Development goals cannot be defined in the absence of participatory and deliberative institutions that enable the public inter-change of ideas. Forje and Agbor (2008: 8) argue that the quality of services delivery in Africa can only improve w